Good news: BK without telling anyone applied for a performing arts school and got an interview, and then an unconditional offer, and hopefully, God willing, is off to university in the autumn (small problem of being a private college so won't get the full student loan for fees, but has applied for a bursary, only 16 awarded nationally every year, but disabled single mum on benefits in social housing with own learning disabilities and head injury and mixed race ticks so many boxes for them... we are hopeful). Extra good news, even though it mean dropping out of the performing arts BTec diploma a year early, she has been told if she completes her playscript and does one extra module over the summer she is likely to get it in a year, most likely a distinction, due to all the modules she has already passed!) How's that for a girl with no GCSEs who could not cope with school due to her needs never being met or respected who then fell down the stairs and made academic home ed impossible? :)

Angry news: She did not win her PIP appeal, the panel were ignorant of autism and prejudice of girls with autism and had obviously made up their minds before they met us and put her through hell, made her really look at different she was and her struggles and then tell her there was nothing wrong. Had a bad affect on her mental health.

Scary news: in brief, I am on a fast track for investigations for cancer (which I am sure is a mistake, just a bug with a weird ME/CFS reaction, but...) I have my triage telephone appointment next Tuesday, I was referred last Tuesday. The speed of this in the NHS alone is terrifying...

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Wow, a real rollercoaster of events.The new NHS protocols for anything which could be cancer are very quick, which can be scary but does mean a lot less time to worry before they investigate.

Sorry to hear about the PIP, but if BK gets any government student finance then the disabled student allowance, which isn’t money in hand but provides various services including mentors, is given more freely and takes into account the demands of the course. If she applies for student finance there is a box to tick which means you get sent more information on DSA.

Fantastic news about the course, she has done so well and you should be so proud of her and of yourself for bringing her up with aspirations, which makes such a difference. Worth Googling student bursaries as there are some weird and wonderful ones about and she might find she fits the criteria.

Really really good news about BK - congratulations to her, and to you for producing her and bringing her up to succeed!Really really annoying about PIP rejection. Really really scary about cancer investigation - I'm thinking about you. *hugs*